Lexington police announce downtown traffic changes for Fourth of July events Friday and Saturday

The Lexington Police Department issued a traffic update Thursday evening for Fourth of July events this weekend, warning drivers to expect closures and slower travel times in the downtown area as crowds move between performances and family activities.

In a public notice tied to the holiday schedule, Lexington Police Lieutenant Jeremiah Davis said officers are preparing for heavy pedestrian presence and large crowds. He said anyone driving through downtown Friday and Saturday should use caution and expect people to be walking between event locations.

The department’s traffic plan is already affecting the Friday night concert. The patriotic concert is set to begin at 8 p.m. Friday, but WKYT reported it was pushed back from an original start time due to heat. According to Davis, some roads have already been closed for the event.

For the concert, Davis said Short Street, between Third Street and the Mill area, and Short Street in the Market area will be closed. He also said Third Street will be closed between Broadway and Upper Street. Police described the concert’s end time as expected around 9:30 p.m., with roads expected to reopen no later than 11 p.m.

The update also addresses early Saturday morning closures tied to the parade and the Bluegrass 10K race. Davis said the road closure process begins at 5:00 a.m. Saturday, earlier than many businesses open, with impacts focused on several corridors that connect to the downtown parade route and race staging areas.

According to the department’s description, the Saturday closures will stretch from the downtown public library to Shriners on Richmond Road, and will also extend on another route toward Winchester Road via Midland. The plan is designed to manage vehicle access while attendees and runners travel along the event areas.

WKYT reported that Lexington police expect the parade and race activities to require coordinated traffic controls through the morning and early afternoon. The department said roads are expected to reopen around 2:00 p.m. Saturday, after police determine that event traffic and pedestrian flow have eased.

Police did not announce any changes to the events themselves in the update, but the department’s schedule shows a tight timeline for closures and reopening, with staggered restrictions for the concert on Friday evening and longer-morning restrictions for the parade and race on Saturday. Drivers seeking to avoid delays were advised to plan alternate routes and expect areas to be blocked at key times.

The traffic notice reflects standard public safety planning for major holiday gatherings, including crowd movement and the need to keep vehicles away from routes where pedestrian activity is expected to be the highest. As the events approach, police said motorists should follow posted directions and be prepared for officers to enforce the closure areas throughout the indicated windows.